Process of cleaning wool



Patented July '5,1 1 932' I UNITE STATES nonnnr m. cnmnm, or Los moms,

OFFIE- camronnm, assmlvon 'ro rnos'rnn wooL V rnocsss COMPANY, A conrom'rron or NEVADA rnocnss or omen-1nd WOOL No Drawing.

The present application, is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 528,234 filed April 6, 1931 and the invention is a new process for removing foreign matters, 6 such as burrs-chaff, vegetable and mineral matters, paint, tar, etc. from wool or other animal fibres; the removal" of such matters being diflicult to properly accomplish by the present known methods. j a

When wool is. sheared from sheep it con tains more or less vegetable andother foreign solid matters such as burrs, chafi, and manure and sometimes has paint, tar etc. .clinglng thereto, which foreign matters are difficult 15 and expensive to remove by the heretofore known processes.

' .In my process the wool after 1t has been moistened and while the foreign matters therein are moist is subjected to a temperature sufiiciently low to freeze the moisture in or adhering to the vegetable orother foreign matters in the wool but without freezing or injury to the wool, thereby rendering such foreign matters hard and faclhtating the subsequent removal thereof from the un- "frozen wool by a picker, or other suitable mechanical apparatus.

The freezlng will harden, reinforce or strengthen the foreign matters clinging to the wool, thereby preventing to the greatest degree possible the disintegration of the natural structure of the various unrelated foreign matters, such as wool fibres, burrs, tar particles, etc., and assuring a cleaner separation of the foreign matters from the wool. In my process the wool fibres are not frozen and remain soft andpliable but each' separate piece'of forei matter is rendered so hard that it can be readily detached from the wool. Such freezin lessens the hold of the foreign matters .on t e wool, and enables the picker to remove the hard frozen foreign matters intact.

Customarily the shearedwool is sorted and. usually passed through a so-called grease wool duster to free it from loose dirt, sand and other-easily separable impurities. The wool is then usually washed in soapy water baths, then rinsed in clear water, and 50 then the surplus free water is removed,-

, Application m larch a, 1932.. Serial in. 598,671.

Heretofore such washed wool has been (a) dried and picked to remove impurities by passing it through so-called" mechanical burr pickers; or (b) where the moist wool contains a large percentage of foreign matters, such as burrs, etc., it is treated with a chemical or acid bath and then subjected to heat'suificient to ca'rbonize such'foreign mat ters. Such .carbonizing processhowever is injurious to the; wool, and renders it less valuable; or "(0) in somecases the wool has been subjected to both the aforesaid picking and carbonizing steps (a) and (b). l

- In my process I do not use the step or steps wool and forelgn matters while moist are subjected to a temperature which will freeze the moisture in or adhering to. the foreign matters in the wool but not freeze the wool fibres, and then the so frozen forei (a), (b) or Instead thewash'ed' mattors are removed. In my process t e woolfibres are not frozen, this is important, and the fibres retain their original strength and the oilin or on the 'wool fibres is retained and also the marrow in the fibres. The

freezing renders the foreign matters hard" and prevents 'disinte ation thereof when they are struck by plckers during the mechanical separation thereof and facilitates their detachment'from the wool.

In my process the woolffibre is flexible at all times; the major.portion of the water removed is inthe form of ice which readily f separates from the wool fibres 'when they are agitated. The moisture in or adhering to the foreign matters (such as burrs, shives,

tar,'e tc.)-is frozen or congealed jand renders.

the foreign matters hard and unyielding so that when the wool and foreign matters pass to the picker the foreign matters will be knocked clear of the wool without disintegrating, as they would ordinarily do if not frozen.

In my'process the foreign matters can be readily detached while in. this frozen condif tion from the wool; whereas if it. was attempted to remove them unfrozen they wou1d cling to the wool and rupture and at a hi h rate,of s

frozen urrs and ot er .foreign particles ad- -hering to the wool. In case the frozen for; eign matters are in chunks or masses too I preferably to a temperature of about 0 F: which ra -idly brings about the desired frozen con tion of all foreign matters in the wool, the wool fibres being loosened and se arated .in a flufi'y condition while being subjected to the freezin operation.

The woo with the matters therein is then delivered'to 'a'mechanical picker which combs the wool fibres parallel with their line of travel throu h the machine into a continuous thin and fistended sheet or la er, and subjects such layer to combers or geaters, revolving ed,'that knock off the large for the picker to'handle, such chunks or masses canv be crushed by an suitable means prior to passinglto the ic er. Any moisture adhering to t e wool bres will be frozen and be separatedfrom the fibresby the a 'tation thereof in passing to or throug the picker. 4, r

The moisture in and adhering to the foreign matters is frozen and the foreign matters are encased partly or wholly in ice or filled with ice and rendei'ed stiff and hard so that when struck by the pickerteeth the foreign matters will be torn, awa from the upon completion of the'pickin movspheric temperature.

wool and thrown out, and as they reak away .without disintegration the wool is left ex! ceptionally clean and free from impurities After passing the can be readily drie with air at normal atgetable matters are easily disintegrated if not frozen and when disintegrated are ve difiicult to remove from wool. Heretofore 1t has been im ssible' to remove so-called spiral burrs except by th'ecarbonizing process, or by hand, as the pickers'will break h the'burrs' into fra ents but-by-my process i e renioved intact while frozen with aminimum of injury to the wool.

these burrs can Such burrs will absorb and retain water, and when frozen they become hard and their tendency to uncoil or disintegrate into fibrelike pieces is practically eliminated, and

when struck by a' picker the frozen burrs be, thrownfoutof the wool.

If'the placed hard frozen foreign manner hereinbefore set forth.

operation. icker the c eaned wool ters from the wool.

.3. The. recess of cleaningwool" or other. animal fi res offle'xtraneous' vegetable-- and ,mineral mattersclinging thereto which inforeign matters were'not frozen the pickers or mechanical devices could not properly re move them because unfrozen burrs instead of being thrown clear of the wool would break or uncoil into barbed fibres which become more and more inseparably mixed with the wool fibres and will pass through the picker with the wool.

It is also diflicult to remove shives and chafi from wool by the heretoforeknown processes, as they are small, light and featherg; but 1n my roce'ss the shives, and chafi's' w en moistene and frozen increasein size and weight, and become comparatively solid, due to the ice which coats and joins their prongs together, and in such frozen condition they can be readily. detached from and thrown out of the woolby the picker.

In my process the burrs and other forei matters can be removed intact, as in their frozen condition the particles have many times their natural cohesive stren h and will easily withstand the mechanica treatment necessary to remove them. Furthermore,

. the can bemore easily picked from the wool an have less tendency to reeling to the wool when once loosened therefrom. I

.,The process might be employed to clean other animal fibres than wool and possibly silk and some ve etable fibres that would not be frozen or bar ened b the temperature reuired to freeze the oreign-matters and matters to be'removed from the' fibres int t erefore would enable the frozen foreign -1. The process of cleaning wool .or'othe'r animal fibres of extraneous foreign matters clinging thereto, consisting in washing the wool and forei matters and subjecting the wool and foreign matters while moist to a;

freezing temperature for a t me sufficient to freeze the moisture in or adhering to the foreign matters but not freeze the wool; and

then removingthe frozen foreign matters from the woo 2. The process of cleaning wool or other I animal'fibres of extraneous foreignv matters clinging thereto" which includes moistening the wool and foreign matters and then su jecting the mass while'moist to a freezing l temperature higher than the freezing point. of the wool fibre and for a time'suflicient to freeze the moisture in or on the foreign matters; and separating the frozen foreign matcludes the moistening of thwool and said vegetable and mineral-matters, and then sub- Jecting the mass while moist to a freezing operation at a tem rature which will not freeze 'thevwool an for a time sufiicient to freeze the moisture or onthe foreign matneeaaoe ters; and then removing the frozen foreign matters from the wool.

4. The process of separating extraneous foreign matters from wool or otheranimal fibres; consisting in moistening the wool and foreign matters and subjecting the same to a low temperature for a timeto freeze the foreign matters but not dry them and not freeze the wool, and then separating the foreign matters while in a frozen condition from the wool.

5. The process of cleaning wool or other animal fibres of extraneous vegetable and mineral matters clinging thereto; consisting in washing the mass of wool and foreign matters, removing surplus water from the mass, subjecting the moist mass to a temperature of about 0 F. for a sufficient duration of time to freeze the foreign matters but not the wool, and then removing the hard frozen foreign matters'from the wool.

6. The process of cleaning wool or other animal fibres of solid extraneous foreign matters clinging thereto; consisting in moistening the mass of wool and foreign matters,

removing surplus water, subjecting the moist mass to a temperature above the freezing point of wool for a time suficient to freeze the moisture in or on the extraneous matters 9 while flufling the wool fibres, and separating the frozen matters therefrom.

7. The process of cleaning wool or other animal fibres of extraneous solid foreign matters clinging thereto; consisting in washing the mass, removing surplus water therefrom,

" subjecting the moist mass to a temperature of about 0F. for a time suflicient to freeze the foreign matters but not the wool; and subjecting the mass to a mechanical device whereby the frozen foreign matters are separated from the wool.

8. The process of cleaning wool or other animal fibres of extraneous vegetable and mineral matters clinging thereto; consisting in washing the mass, removing surplus water therefrom, subjecting the moist mass to a low temperature. for a time suflicient to freeze the foreign matters but not the wool; separating the mass into a distended or thin layer during the freezing step, and subjecting the layer to a mechanical device whereby the frozen foreign matters are separated from the wool. 1

9. The process of cleaning wool orother animal fibres of'solid extraneous foreign mat ters clinging thereto; consisting in washing the mass, removing surplus water therefrom, separating the moist mass into a distended or thin layer, subjectin the moist layer to a temperature for a su cient time to freeze the for'ei matters but not freeze the wool;

and final y subjecting the layer to a mechanical device whereb the frozen foreign mat- E ters are separate from the wool.

'6 ROBERT M. GREENLEAF. 

